TL;DR

The true meaning of yacht rock

The vibe

The crowd

The drinks

The food

Our Review

Start us off with an overview. What's the vibe here?If atmosphere could make you tipsy, then you’d be feeling a buzz before you even took a seat—never mind touched a drop—in Bar Helix, Kendra Anderson’s RiNo lounge. With its bubble-patterned base and back panel mirrored like a disco ball, the bar alone glitters and pops like a glass of Champagne; entering the back room, dark and cozy in gold-flecked crimson, feels like being immersed inside a Negroni. (Not coincidentally, sparkling wine and amaro-splashed cocktails are key offerings.) Anderson drew her inspiration for the decor in part from images of the Playboy Club in its yacht rock–era heyday, but Bar Helix is no gentlemen’s lair. This place was built to make everybody feel comfortable—not to mention sexy—in their own skin.

We're off to a good start. So who do you see here on an average evening?Couples cuddling up on dates and the occasional swarm of little black dresses. Beyond that, though, the crowd’s a surprisingly mixed bunch—imagine a soirée hosted by someone who knows everyone who’s interesting and makes a point of introducing strangers in hopes that they become friends.

Any house specialties we should know about?Anderson and her bar team produce about 20 cocktails that, though seasonal, always rely on the element of surprise. At any given time, they’re featuring as many as seven or eight variants on the classic Negroni; a group of four guests can choose one for service in a crystal decanter. They’re pouring pretty little numbers like the tequila-based Bling Bling with pear liqueur, absinthe, lemon, and a sprinkling of gold dust as well as heady, funky concoctions like the Brand-New Old Fashioned starring rye and smoked maple syrup. The wine list, meanwhile, reflects Anderson’s penchant not only for bubbles of all kinds (Champagne, Cava, Crémant) but also for finding gorgeous alternatives to your go-tos: a “Sauvignon Blanc-ish” Alsatian Pinot Gris here, a “Cabernet Sauvignon-ish” Red Mountain Syrah there. A few craft beers and ciders from anywhere but Colorado—on the grounds that RiNo is already awash in local brews—cap it all off.

Please tell us the bar snacks also deliver.If you’re gonna do it, do it right and start with the Bump + Bubbles: a small dollop of caviar placed on top of your fist plus a shot of Champagne to chase it. The bar snacks only get more titillating from there: Think butter-poached shrimp cocktail, puff pastry–wrapped wagyu hot links with pimento cheese (aka “piggies in a blankie”), and—what else?—Negroni-infused chocolates for two, accompanied by a pair of mini–dessert cocktails.

How's the service?To work in a place with this much personality, you’d better have some yourself, and the staff plays the part with relish: dressing sharply, working the room, and treating you like a guest at their party rather than a table in their section.

So if you were to recommend this place to a friend, why would you tell them to go?When you want to feel fabulous—and really, when don’t you?—here’s the place to do it. Kick back and relax on a weekday afternoon or bring the house down when the music’s pumping late night. Either way, Bar Helix represents a little splurge for the soul. Oh, and Anderson hosts occasional, often naughtily themed Sunday brunch pop-ups as well, so you can add a little hell-raising to your hallelujah.